To Hel and Back
by Anthony E. Stark
Summary: Hel hasn't had a very good childhood; half alive yet half dead, treated like a monster and isolated from the citizens of Asgard, and banished to the Underworld to look after the dishonoured dead for the rest of her life. After many years of punishment, she's finally allowed to go to Midgard where she becomes the Avenger's newest addition against H.Y.D.R.A. Rated T for Tony.
1. Prologue 1

**Prologue 1**

The young goddess was terrified as she waited outside the court room with a guard in full battle armour on either side. She'd never had to stand in front of such a big crowd before and her nerves were getting almost uncontrollable. The guards were uncomfortable standing so close to her as she could tell from their constant shuffling. Every citizen Asgard was wary of her and they kept their distance. It's been like this for as long as she could remember.

* * *

_Her earliest memory is of an average sunny day when she was standing under a tree in the castle grounds, daydreaming. Fenrir and Jormungand, her older brothers, were practising their fighting with uncle Thor and she tagged along to feel like she was part of their group. After Jormungandr had beaten Fenrir for the fifth time, she had lost interest and it wasn't until Thor turned to her to ask if she wants to fight that she was brought back to reality._

_She remembers being tackled to the ground and accidentally zapping Thor with her magic in surprise. His arm had blown up to twice it's size due to the blast. Thor gave the surprised goddess a reassuring look before hobbling off to the castle in obvious pain. He understood about her curse and this was not the first time that this had happened. She was burdened with dark magic from the day she was born - a curse that gave her the ability to cast spells yet she could give and take life. Half alive though half dead, people avoided her so she was left with just the people who understood for comfort. Asgardians were afraid of her magic, her royal status and the fact that, if she isn't careful, she could kill a plant just by touching it. She wasn't sure if it was only plants she can take the life from, she wouldn't dare try her powers on a person._

_Her magic was hard to control even though her dad, a sorcerer himself, had given her advice on how she should use it. Her brothers didn't seem to mind their uncle leaving as they continued fighting like there was no interruption._

_Hel stood up and brushed off her clothes before marvelling at the spectacle before her; a wolf and a serpent battling each other while howling with laughter._

_Her brothers were also cursed like herself. Fenrir was a wolf with orangey brown fur and Jormungandr was a sea serpent that lived on the land. Their curses didn't affect their lives like it affected hers; the two brothers were popular with everyone because they didn't have a habit of accidentally killing things that Hel did._

* * *

The girl jumped as the large oak doors opened in front of her and she was shoved into the blinding light of the royal court room. She walked cautiously forwards as the crowd around her fell silent, fear making them unable to speak.

The court room was full of Asgardians that had turned up to see the trials of Loki's three children. Hel had heard outside of the room that the people had pleasantly chatted while Fenrir was to be tied to an indestructible rope and Jormungandr was sentenced to roam the seas forever. This was a joyous festival for Asgard, watching the 'monsters' being sentenced to lives of suffering beyond compare.

The room was still deadly silent as she stopped in front of the great throne Odin sat on. On the left of him Asgards bravest warriors were stood proud, following orders to stay heartless throughout these trials, and on the right was Loki, Thor and Frigga with emotionless faces yet tears were forming in their eyes.

Hel could feel everyone cautiously watching her as she stood tall, trying to hide her fear of what her punishment may be. She was wearing her finest clothes so she had some confidence that she at least looked alright - a long black dress with long sleeves that was covered with a white detailed ivy pattern. She always wore black and white to symbolise her curse, a sign that she accepted who she was.

Odin spoke after what seemed to be the longest silence ever.

"Hel Lokidottir, for putting the nine realms at threat, I hereby banish you to look after the dishonoured dead in the underworld for the rest of your living years. This is a fitting punishment for yourself."

Almost everyone gasped. This wasn't what anyone would of expected Hel to be sentenced to. Hel just kept her eyes fixed on the unforgiving face of the king.

Everything felt like a dream to her, she hoped she was going to wake up and go back to her normal life of solitude within the castle walls.

She nearly screamed as she felt herself being pulled into a bone crushing bear hug. Thor had ran to comfort her even though she was surprisingly taking this news pretty well.

"Don't worry, we'll always be here for you no matter what and I'm so sorry that-", he sobbed before being dragged away to where he was standing by four of the guards that were stood around Hel.

Once the blonde was back where he was meant to be, he hugged Frigga who was also crying her eyes out. Their sentiment was obviously contagious as Loki had tears forming in his eyes, he wouldn't be able to contain his emotions at losing his three children to horrendous fates for longer.

Odin pointed his staff at the goddess in front of him which made the Asgardians hold their breath in anticipation; the monster was being sent away from their realm and, it may not be the kindest fate, but at least they were now safe from what might of been a threat.

Hel was still standing tall even though her knees were weak and she was surprised she could even stand. Everyone stared at her as they waited for Odin to send her to the underworld, waiting for the blast of light to hit her and sent the goddess to her punishment.

She looked Odin straight in the eye as she asked the one question she'd never got answered, "What did I do wrong?"

This obviously shocked the king as he yelled back, "Asgard cannot have a monster like you threatening our safety!"

His face was a dangerous shade of red as he then blasted Hel to the underworld.

The last thing she saw was Loki whispering that he's sorry before the lightening-like pain shot through her body.


	2. Prologue 2

**Prologue 2**

All of this endless battle didn't seem real anymore yet the reality was what's crushing her. The fighting around her no longer seemed to matter as she stumbled around to find some sort of escape. Nobody seemed to notice the goddess while they were all too busy with defeating their own opponents. With tears falling from her eyes, she tried to piece together everything that had happened so far in her mind;

_The battleground was silent as the two opposing forces prepared for battle at the first sign of the sun. Hel had no idea how long this battle had been prepared for, all she knew was that she had to be here no matter what. On one side were Asgard's finest warriors, including Thor and Odin, ready to protect their throne from the 'monsters' that threatened their safety. There was hundreds, maybe thousands, of warriors representing Asgard yet their army looked puny compared to Hel's. She had been told to gather an army and, not knowing why but not wanting to disobey orders from her brothers, chose about two thousand of the strongest men in the underworld to represent her side. They all stood in silence behind her waiting for the orders to attack, weapons at the ready._

_To her right stood her two older brothers; Fenrir was stronger than ever before now, his ego bigger than the nine realms and Jormungandr was now taller than a house, having grown a stupendous amount in his absence. Hel, however, looked a bit older and was better at magic yet she was almost the same as before. People thought that she would've become heartless over time, and admittedly she did have to act heartless at times to survive, but she spent most of the time locked in her castle so that she didn't become an actual monster._

_The rest of the battle was a bit of a blur to Hel: The two sides ran at each other and started their epic battle. Blood was shed everywhere as limbs were torn or cut off and cries of agony could be heard from all sides. The air was filled with the sounds of weapons clattering against armour as Hel avoided any fighting._

_She zapped a few people that headed towards herself with magic, only enough to stun them though as she knew what awaited them after death and it wasn't that good. Hel had no intention of killing anybody today. Just a few feet in front of her, Odin and Fenrir were running towards each other and, before she could stop either of them, Odin's sword pierced through her brother's skull with ease. It didn't seem real as Hel saw the bloodstained sword being pulled out, the heartless face of the king, the life leaving Fenrir's eyes, the giant wolf slumping to the ground. As Odin turned to fight off more people, she ran to her brother to try and bring him back to life but she was still too weak and nothing happened. Her magic couldn't bring him back. It was no use, Hel sobbed as she clinged to the blood-matted fur of the fiercest warrior she'd ever known._

_As if it wasn't enough to watch her oldest brother being murdered before her eyes, the goddess looked up to see in the distance, the large body of Jormungandr lying on the ground. She didn't notice him before and it's kind of hard to miss a giant sea serpent on the horizon. Even at the distance she was from him, she could see that his skull had shattered and looked as though it had exploded, like it had been hit with something like Thor's hammer. It would've been a horrific sight to Hel if she wasn't already used to dealing with dead people and if she wasn't already holding the body of her other dead brother._

_She stood up shakily, oblivious to the fighting around her, and couldn't stop herself from crying as she wandered to find some sort of escape._

The floor seemed to rush up to greet Hel, she'd tripped over a stray bloody arm lying at an awkward angle on the ground. A large hand on her shoulder stopped the goddess from falling into the mud. She looked up into the eyes of Thor, but they were no longer the eyes of the thunder-god that she knew so well. The sky-blue eyes were full of blood lust and the rage of battle, the battle that had cruelly taken her two brothers. Her legs were shaking so much in fear and sadness that she fell to her knees and sobbed, waiting to feel Thor's hammer take her to her death. She knew that she'd either return to the underworld alive as a queen or dead like how everyone else gets there and the throne would be given to someone else, there was no escape and death was the last thing on her mind now.

The sight of the broken goddess weeping at his feet was enough to make Thor snap out of his rage-induced trance. Hel was the strongest girl he knew, not even the most fearsome warrior could do her job in the underworld like she could, yet she was little more than a teenager out of her depth now. He felt her wince as he knelt to be at her level and lifted her head so that he could look her in the eye. Her cheeks were wet with tears, shivering in fear, which made the thunder-god regret killing her brother so soon after she lost her oldest sibling. He was under strict orders though; to destroy the three 'undesirables' no matter how much he protested.

"Please run, save yourself, you're in danger here," his voice, which was normally loud and booming, was at a low whisper so that nobody noticed him helping out the other team.

"I do not need your pity. Leave the job of exterminating me to somebody who has the guts to." Hel's voice was quivering but the icy tone could be heard; running away was the coward's way out, for people who couldn't face the consequences of their actions.

"You will be slayed within seconds. I'll tell Loki that you're safe, well, you will be safe if you go back to the underworld," Thor could see in Hel's face that she didn't want to go back. He knew that she does not belong there but nobody, not even Odin, dared to venture there so she was safe.

The sniffling girl nodded in agreement and whispered to Thor before disappearing back to her castle, "Thank you. Please tell father I said hi."

_A/N: There's two prologues because these are important parts of the story that happen before the actual story. Prologue is a really weird word.. I think I've written it too much. Thanks for the reviews so far guys!_

_- Tony_


	3. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

After nearly a month of being sat in the same spot in the same cell, the trickster had grown used to the damp, murky walls surrounding him. One of the perks of being considered royalty is that he got the biggest space on offer - even after endangering the lives of everyone in Midgard. The room had just three plain walls and a stone bench opposite prison-style bars that looked upon another cell in front of him, exactly the same as the one he was in but smaller. Odin vowed to punish his adopted son for a month just to keep the Asgardians happy that there was some justice. Loki had failed to take over Midgard so he wasn't taken seriously anymore; people laughed at the mention of him. In front of the trickster there was just one old man that had been there before Loki had. The god had tried talking to this mysterious fellow and, after many failed attempts to get speech from him, finally gave up. He interested himself by watching some bugs crawling around on the wall to his left. He needed something to do to pass the time other than staring at the silent guy. It wasn't very amusing at all.

About half an hour passed before Loki decided to check if the other man had moved. Quickly, he glanced over but ended up doing a double take.

There was somebody next to the old man.

And the silent man's head was now lolling to one side and resting on his shoulder. He looked almost... dead?!

The god's attention was quickly drawn back to the other figure in the cell. No noise was heard so they must of appeared by magic; but Loki had tried and it was impossible to cast any spell in the royal prison. A young, possibly teenage, girl in a long black cape that covered her eyes was lounging against the wall opposite him.

"It was like that when I got here!" the girl said in a voice that had the same accent as himself which was rare to hear in Asgard.

She must of caught him looking because she was now staring directly at him with curiosity written over her face, well, what he could see of it. Loki was intrigued by how unemotional she sounded and looked considering she was next to a dead criminal in one of the most secure prisons in the nine realms.

"I don't recall any new additions to this bit of the prison," the silver-tongued prince finally uttered after what seemed like forever. Almost immediately, the strange girl replied in the same cheerful tone as before, "I'm not staying. I don't intend to hang around for too long."

A grin was on her face as Loki's eyes yet again diverted to look at the old man - still just sitting there, still not alive. "May I enquire about why that man there is dead?" He was surprised at how sarcastic he sounded and glanced back at the girl who's smile had faded.

"He chose that fate," she replied casually with a small sigh, as if this was nothing new to her.

"Who are you by the way? Grim reaper?" The trickster was far too curious to stop himself from asking that question for any longer, and it didn't seem as though she was going to announce her name without a reason to.

"I hardly get to talk to people, son of Laufey," she said with a small grin while playing with a lock of black hair that had fallen out from under hood. Before Loki could ask how she knew him, her hood fell back onto her shoulders revealing her full face. The mystery girl was young, about mid teens, with wavy black hair, that could be dark brown considering the dim light of the cell, which fell to just below her shoulders. Her face was pale like it had never seen the sun and she was still playing with the same bit of hair - oblivious to the fact that her face was now exposed even though, why she wanted to cover it, Loki couldn't tell why.

She looked up at him with large brown eyes that shone emerald in the light and continued with her earlier statement, "Well, people hardly talk to me in all truth and honesty, I'm what you would call an outlaw." Her smile got bigger and her eyes shone mischievously as she registered the confusion on Loki's face.

"How do you know me, mysterious outlaw?" The sarcasm was back in his voice as he attempted to keep his curiosity under control.

"Everyone knows about your attempts at domination, I'm not surprised to meet you here actually," she said with a small giggle that would've made Loki annoyed if he wasn't so used to people criticising his failed plans.

"You never answered my question, what is your name?"

"I'm still surprised you didn't recognise me, long time no see and all that... The name's Hel. Hel Lokidottir." She disappeared using magic before Loki could register the information.

_A/N: Wow. This story is doing a lot better than I expected! Thank you everyone!_

_- Tony_


	4. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The remaining days flew by and the punishment was over in no time. Two guards had come to collect the dead body soon after Hel had left so the cell opposite Loki was desolate but it didn't seem that much different.

The god jumped as the door to his cell was swung open with a crash by his older brother. Thor had a massive grin on his face and ran over to give Loki a breathtakingly strong hug which nearly broke all the younger man's bones.

"Thor, I can't breathe!" Loki yelped as he tried to escape from the crushing arms around his very thin body - there wasn't much food given to him during the time of his punishment. The thunder-god quickly let go and stepped back so that his brother could have his personal space back.

His grin was even wider than before, "Sorry brother, I'm just happy that you're safe." Loki rolled his eyes and stood up so that Thor was no longer towering above him, "Of course I'm safe," he replied before heading towards the open door.

"There's a feast waiting for you, I chose all your favourite food!" The two gods walked up the spiral staircase leading to the dining hall while Thor talked nonstop about how he travelled back to Midgard to help Tony plan a party to raise money for all the damage Loki caused. It was obvious that Thor was excited about his brother's release so Loki just nodded to keep the older god happy, even though he had no interest for what the Avengers are doing.

After what seemed like an endless journey to the dining hall, Loki had gathered no useful information whatsoever from the thunder-god. He wanted to ask Thor about Hel but as he was about to, he was startled at the empty hall with a large table full of food in front of him - this room was normally teeming with various gods and the sound of joyful story telling.

"Where is everybody?" Loki asked his brother as he sat down opposite him, a large banquet blocking his view.

"Tis the middle of the day, brother. They shall not be joining our dining." Thor boomed with a mouthful of various picked up a bread roll next to him and started nibbling it; after a month of hardly being fed he was surprisingly not hungry.

"Thor?"

"Yes, brother?"

"Have you -" Loki paused as he considered how to ask what he wanted to, "Have you heard from my daughter lately?"

The thunder-god put down the large chuck of meat that he was about to shove into his mouth and looked up slowly at his brother, who was watching him with inquisitive green eyes. "The man in prison was old and had an illness which is why she was there. Hel went straight to me and asked how you are."

Loki's face softened for a split-second until he realised his brother watching him and regained his train of thought, "She asked about me? Why hasn't she cared before? I thought she hated me!"

"She never did hate you, she was just annoyed with her punishment."

"Is there any way we could help?"

"I am uncertain but, perhaps, she could be excused to go with me to the charity party?" Loki saw his brother's excitement at being able to help and, as the trickster considered the idea, a very small grin started to form on his face.

The large door the two brothers had just walked through minutes ago suddenly swung open as Odin strode towards his seat at the table.

"Good to meet you, father." Thor boomed as Odin sat to his right.

"Thor," was all the all-father replied with while watching Loki curiously.

"Your highness," the trickster muttered under his breath.

As Odin went to pick up some food, the thunder-god excitedly told him of his travels, "Father, I have returned from Midgard! They are not as angry as I thought they would be at Loki and Anthony Stark is hosting a Halloween party for charity and perhaps Hel could-" Thor stopped his rambling when Odin glared at the mention of the death goddess - a look the reminded Loki of the Midgardian saying "_If looks could kill_".

The two brothers held their breaths as they awaited the All-father's reply; neither of them dared to talk right then.

"Lokidottir?" Odin asked Thor who nodded and let him continue. "She actually goes to Midgard a lot; trying to stay away from the underworld as much as possible by travelling the nine realms. Her punishment is until the end of time, we all already know that, but she did give us the dark magic to transport people to the other realms while the Bifrost was being repaired."

Once the thunder-god had sensed that Odin was finished talking, he took a deep breath and cautiously asked, "Would she be allowed another trial, father?"

"Very well." This surprised the brothers a lot - Odin was never this easy to persuade - and Loki just blinked in shock at what had been said. "Thor, send her a letter. If she isn't here by sunset then there is no second trial." The All-father finished this statement by walking out dramatically - a king is always over dramatic, always.

_A/N: Thank you for all the reviews and follows guys *sniffles* it means a lot to me! Cookies for everyone! This chapter was incredibly annoying to write because I'm focusing more now on the future chapters which actually have action in them._

_- Tony_


	5. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

The underworld is a frozen desert with no plants whatsoever but plenty of mountains; the sun was setting and everywhere was a fiery orange which contrasted greatly with all the ice. A huge black castle that wouldn't look out-of-place in a fairy-tale sat on top of the tallest mountain with nine turrets reaching past the grey clouds into the sky. The resident souls of the dead avoided the castle at all costs in fear of the dark magic that surrounded it. Against the bleak and empty landscape, the magnificent structure stood out and looked mysterious in the sunset.

Hel appeared on the main balcony of her home, the castle in the underworld. Her magic allowed her to go back to her castle when she wanted without draining her of her powers; she was the only being in the nine realms that could reach the land of the dead without being dead or losing all her magic attempting to.

The goddess turned around into the throne room behind her and used her magic to change her black robes into dark jeans with a purple jumper - the same magic that her dad uses to change into his battle armour. One of her servants, Ganglati who was a zombie-like creäture that wore a long red robe like Hel's with a hood that covered most of his face, entered the room and she quickly remembered to put on her crown before her servant complained once again about how she must always wear the symbol of her royalty.

Her throne was much like Odin's but black with white ivy that crept along the walls from where she was sitting to the ten exactly the same doors dotted around the walls. Opposite her was the entrance to the room and the other nine each had a sign that said a different realm; when Hel needed to go somewhere, she would step through the door to the corresponding realm and would be transported to wherever she desires.

"Had fun on you latest voyage, mistress?" Ganglati asked before kneeling before her, "You had been gone for three days."

"Three days? I must have lost count."

Her trusty servant stood up and glared at her, this wasn't the first time that she'd lost track of how long she's been out.

"My trip was.. different. How was things here?"

"Silent as the grave, my queen."

"Nothing new there then."

Ganglati walked up to the goddess and handed her a pale blue envelope with 'Urgent' written on the front. "This arrived for you today, I was told that it is very important."

Hel read the short letter inside quickly before rushing over to the door at the far left of the throne room; she doesn't really use that door often - mainly because she isn't allowed to most of the time. Her servant picked up the letter that she'd dropped onto the throne and a look of horror spread across his face, "I don't see why it's today, it's too early."

"Look after everything while I'm gone. I might be away for a while." She called back to him and he nodded as the goddess opened the heavy door and stepped in it.

The door slammed behind her and she focused on the throne room of Asgard before disappearing instantly.

The sun was little more than a small ray of light when she reappeared at her destination.


	6. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"You're late."

The court room Hel remembers so well was empty except for herself, Odin sat on the throne, Frigga beside him, Thor beaming next to her and Loki looking at the floor along him.

"I am sorry, your highness, I only just received your letter." She knelt in front of the throne; her crown nearly fell off as she stood up quickly, regretting not changing out of her Midgardian clothes.

"You have been summoned to negotiate about your punishment after it has come to my attention that you are not being treated severe enough."

Thor and Frigga looked up at he all-father in shock, they were expecting him to release Hel from her duty. Loki was now looking at his daughter with the same pained expression that he had on the day she was sentenced to a life in the underworld.

Odin saw that everybody disagreed and spoke louder, "Therefore you should be killed on the spot so that you are stuck in that wasteland forever!"

Before anybody else could protest Hel spoke up, because there was no way that she would go without a fight, which surprised the four other people.

"All my life I have been hated because I am different and it is definitely not my fault that I am half dead. I have been forced to rule the dead as their queen, therefore I have no will for power or to rule like my father. I had to grow heartless to do a job that most adults could not do and to cope with being banished from my family, the people I thought understood. Every day I have been lonely; I have done my job properly like you asked me to and I can now control my powers. My brothers were killed in a battle that I had no intentions of going to but I was made to, my army did not kill anybody and I called them off when you asked me to. So Odin please tell me truthfully, because I have inherited how to find a lie; after taking my life, identity and childhood, what am I being punished for?"

Odin considered what the goddess had said while Thor turned to grin at her - she didn't know it was possible for somebody to have a smile that big. Her father had a smug look on his face as he knew that the all-father had no way of defending himself against that speech. Frigga however looked a bit sheepish, knowing that it was possible for Odin to still get his way.

"You _did_ give us dark magic to travel to Midgard yet it is also that magic that is making this decision harder than it should be."

Thor could feel his heart hammering, (HAH PUN!) as the all-father paused for dramatic effect - and it created a very intense effect on the room indeed.

"Hel. Your duties shall be halted while I allow you to roam here and Midgard freely, under the supervision of Thor. However, if you make one bad move you shall be sent back and _never_ allowed to return ever again; your punishment shall be discussed in two Midgardian days to see if this declaration shall stay."

He left the room with this statement and Frigga quickly followed, grinning at Hel before she went through the door, while the three remaining gods realised what had happened.

The silence was quickly broken though as the thunder-god let out a loud laugh before running over and hugging, well almost crushing, Hel - he was a very over caring and clingy person. She joined him with laughing as she struggled out of his strong hold that would have hurt her if she wasn't an Asgardian too; the goddess finally managed to escape after a few minutes of giggling mixed with complaining and Thor said that he'd leave her to talk before walking off to join Odin in the next room.

"So you finally got your deserved freedom," Loki stated while walking towards his daughter almost cautiously, "I apologise for not recognising you instantly a couple of days ago but as you said, long time no see."

The goddess nodded in acceptance of the apology and awkwardly shuffled where she stood, unsure of what to say as her father has never been one for sentimental statements or hugs. Hel was about to just leave the room before she outstayed her welcome when Loki hugged her in another bone-crushing hug with a small smile on his face.

"I should have changed into something more regal," she muttered as her father stepped back to straighten his armour, still smiling which was a rare thing to see.

He laughed and studied her crown, "I think the tiara saved you from a potential fashion disaster."

Thor had paused at the doorway, unnoticed by the two still in the throne room, to listen to how they would react with finally being allowed to talk and laughed slightly at how naturally they were interacting with each other. They started catching up on what Hel had missed as the thunder-god started to walk away again.

* * *

For the next day Loki and Hel talked endlessly about the underworld, world domination and anything else they could think of. Even Odin had managed a tiny grin as he heard the trickster telling a long detailed story of how he met the Avengers and the young goddess was enraptured in every word, almost as if she could see what he had once seen. She would in return entertain him with stories of how she ran the underworld - which she soon told to a few others as well because everybody wanted to know what it's like after death.

The sun was setting and the trickster, his daughter and his older brother were standing on one of the many balconies around the palace watching the fiery light rest upon Asgard. Thor had just been telling Hel about the Helicarrier - she had taken a large interest in the Avengers - while her father looked amused at how his family was finally what he would consider normal.

_A/N: Okay that last chapter was a bit short so here's a longer one to make up for it. *chillin' like a villain* Is it bad that I've put more thought into what I would to for a sequel than the next chapter? (I have no time to proof read, sorry)_

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Marvel (unfortunately) and if you have a problem then you'll find out what your innards taste like._

_- Tony_


	7. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

To say that Loki was annoyed that he couldn't go to Earth too would be a serious understatement; the trickster god stood there morosely as his only daughter and half-brother were transported to another realm, even though there had been thorough farewells. For the second time in his life he vowed to get his offspring back to where they belong, or at least where he thought they belonged.

* * *

It was morning when they two gods landed upon the Avengers tower - the new place to arrive by Bifrost on Midgard after it was decided that New Mexico was too far away from the other Avengers. The sounds of people going to work using the contraptions called cars and the general chit-chat among themselves carried through the air like an improvised yet magnificent melody that summarised human life. Tall skyscrapers made the one they were standing on seem tiny in comparison even though they knew it was hundreds of feet high.

Even though the goddess had been on Earth before she had never seen it so alive, her curiosity running wild with the new concepts of living presented in front of her like a puzzle that the humans found average. She stood at the very edge - falling from such a great height didn't bother somebody who was immortal and would get no more than a nose bleed from it anyway - looking down at the tiny people-dots running around, late for work or just getting caught up in the overall hecticness. The city itself seemed to be alive, which intrigued the Asgardian that spent the majority of her time chilling with the dead.

Hel didn't really like travelling between the realms without using her magic but it was an experience she was used to by now and the sight of the city at this early hour made it worthwhile. Thor laughed at her awe in the way people lived which snapped her out of her daydreams.

"Lets venture inside, you'll like the owner of this particular building." The thunder-god suggested while wandering over to a glass door that was well hidden in the various windows, the goddess unwillingly moving away from the edge towards the door as well.

The smell of burning filled the air of the penthouse, which Hel quickly noticed was coming from an overcooked pancake left in a pan, but what really got her attention was the mortal singing along to no music as if he didn't care that he had just scorched his breakfast. He instantly stopped singing as he turned to bin the remains of his cooking and saw the two gods watching him from across the room.

Thor strode across to the man, dragging the young goddess along with him, and beamed at the other man who seemed quite short compared to the thunder-god now towering over him.

"Hey point break! You really need to warn me when you're visiting, I could've had company." The man winked at Hel which she returned with a small half-smile - he seemed alright even if he was a bit over-confident.

"My apologies friend, I did not think to alert you due to sudden circumstances beyond my control."

Thor seemed genuinely heavyhearted at forgetting to tell his acquaintance but got over it quickly when the man just laughed at the forlorn expression on his face.

"Who's your lady friend then? I assume she's another Asgardian," the mortal asked the thunder-god who seemed far more interested in the toaster than him at the moment.

Before Hel could answer though, Thor replied for her as if he assumed that she didn't want to talk, "This here is Loki's daughter! She has just been given freedom from the underworld to go with me to your party, her duties are suspended during her time here."

The goddess had to stop herself from laughing when she saw the obvious surprise on the man's face turn to horror and then to slight amusement mixed with awe.

"Underworld?! Your brother Loki? I didn't know he had a daughter!"

Thor sighed at the remark and wandered over to the roomy sofa facing an over-large television; Hel noted that the mortal standing next to her was very rich to live in a place like this yet he seemed lonely.

"What's your name then? Grim reaper?" A mischievous smirk was on the man's face as he turned his full attention to the goddess - they were roughly the same height which surprised her.

"You would be surprised how often I get called that actually but it's an alright guess I suppose."

The earthling let out a little laugh in surprise at her response, "You sound just like Loki."

"Possibly because I am half Loki," both of them were grinning now, "The name's Hel by the way. The Midgard custom suggests that I must shake your hand as this is our first meeting."

The sarcasm was clear in her voice yet the man shook her hand with enthusiasm, "Nice to meet you Hel, I'm-"

"Anthony Stark. Pleasure to meet you, I've heard all about you."

"Wait.. A death god is a fan of me?"

"Well, I'm more of a fan of your suit actually, don't flatter yourself."

The pair laughed at how easily they were talking even though they've only known each other for a matter of minutes.

Thor sauntered over to the well-used bar opposite where he was sitting and poured himself a massive glass of the prettiest looking bottle.

"Hey! That one was expensive!" Tony called over his shoulder, interrupting his little giggle fit while Hel started poking random objects on a journey to the windows.

"I'm sorry friend, I thought you are what the Midgardians call a _'billionaire'_?"

"Sarcasm Thor. Sarcasm," the genius sighed in reply and shook his head at the thunder-god's utter surprise. The god sulked his way back to the couch, sipping on his very expensive beverage, and busied himself with attempting to work the TV remote.

The death goddess was now admiring the view outside from one of the over-large windows, she couldn't get enough of how different this felt from when she was looking out from the balcony on her castle.

A _ding_ signalled that the elevator had arrived on that floor and the doors opened to show who Hel recognised as Bruce Banner, although he looked different from the picture she was shown - his appearance instantly said that he'd been working for countless hours, fuelled on the strongest coffee he could find. Tony looked up from behind his bar, sipping on an amber liquid with a smirk plastered on his face.

"Looking a bit green, Bruce. Wanna drink?"

The other scientist quickly agreed but stopped his advance to the bar when he saw the girl watching him from across the room. "Tony, you never told me we were having visitors."

"Oh that's Hel," the billionaire glanced over at the goddess as if to check she was okay with Bruce being in the room, "Death goddess and Loki's daughter."

The scientist just nodded and went to get the drink he was offered as if nothing Tony had said bothered him.

He sipped at the strong alcohol while looking up to assess if Hel was safe to be around; a comfortable but slightly awkward silence filled the penthouse but it was suddenly broken as Thor managed to turn on the flat screen TV and the billionaire chuckled at the achievement.

"Hi Hel," Bruce finally said after he had drunk half of his glass, "Bruce Banner. I'm in the lab most of the time but feel free to visit when you want."

The goddess nodded in acceptance of his offer with a friendly smile that was returned instantly before the scientist put down his half-empty glass and walked back towards the elevator. "Thanks for the drink Tony. I'm off to get some rest so I guess I'll see you all later."

Thor was engrossed in a children's TV show throughout the conversation but managed a small wave in goodbye as the metal doors closed.

"That went a lot better than expected!" Tony announced as he sauntered back over to the windows; the goddess didn't seem to notice as she was too busy looking around at the futuristic room.

"So Hel, as a death god and everything, could you kill us all on the spot?"

Hel looked across to the billionaire who was also admiring his penthouse, "If I wanted to but why would I?"

The genius seemed happy with that reply as he replied with the enthusiasm of a little child being given a present, "Seeing as though you're going to be staying here for a while, let me show you around the tower."

_A/N: Sorry it's late, life happened. If you people don't remind me to update then there will be no update, but I must warn you that it may take me a while to write a new chapter.. But it's worth the wait, honest!_

- Tony


	8. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Stark Towers - even though now it was technically the Avengers tower - was a huge complex maze that spread over seventy-something floors and even Tony didn't know his way around without Jarvis telling him to turn around every few minutes because they were heading down a dead-end corridor. From what Hel could remember: there were offices and the weapon supplies on the top floor, the next floor down was Tony and Bruce's along with two spare rooms, Natasha and Clint stayed on the floor below next to a training room, the rooms below belonged to Thor and Steve with another spare room next to them, the next floor was the shared kitchen and living room where Hel first arrived and below that was the labs where Hel hadn't yet been shown.

She'd been given a room on the second-from-top floor with a fantastic view of the city; the damage from Loki's last attempt at world domination was still visible but life had resumed as the humans always found a way to continue with the hectic lifestyles they were used to. Stark Industries had donated a major amount towards the repairs and everybody, including the Avengers, had helped to repair all the homes, offices and shops. Surprisingly nobody had died; there had been a lot of injuries and some had been very serious but it seemed that the Chitauri were only there to cause a chaotic scene to make the world domination seem more impressive. Now after a month, life had returned to almost how it had been before the aliens and gods turned up to try to rule humanity. People were actually quite happy that the Avengers were there to protect the world from anybody else who dared to try the same thing.

The room Hel was given had bright walls - windows took up one of the walls - with minimal furniture that seemed useless to the god, apart from a large TV opposite the bed which intrigued her for a while. Her only problem was the fact that everything was red or gold and there was a giant abstract picture of Iron Man next to the door to the bathroom. Yes, she was kind of friends with Tony but she didn't want a giant picture of his suit where she sleeps. That's creepy. Bruce's room was next to hers while Tony's territory was opposite her door - which she was glad for because, according to Thor, the billionaire sings at the top of his voice in the shower every morning. Hel felt sorry for anyone who was given the room next to him.

Once the goddess had looked around - which didn't take long when there was only a bedroom and a bathroom to explore - it came to her attention that she didn't own anymore clothes other than the purple jumper and jeans she was wearing. Because her clothes were produced by magic, they didn't need washing and she didn't see the point in changing them; normally she only wore her black cape for work or she produced some Midgardian clothes. Hel studied her reflection in one of the windows before thinking of some clothes she wanted to wear and concentrating on channelling magic energy into a spell. The jumper faded into a light blue blouse but before she could change the jeans, something else broke her focus.

She had lost the Aesir illusion that hid the true monster underneath. Half of her stayed the same while the other half looked like a corpse that was half decomposed, black and ugly; she despised the curse upon herself and how it was the reason people considered her a monster. Breaking her gaze away from the abnormality reflected in the window Hel realised that the magic energy on Earth was a lot lower than she was used to so she only had a fraction of her usual power, which would have to be used to keep up her illusion.

A loud robotic voice broke through the silence, which the goddess found out was nicknamed Jarvis.

_Miss Lokidottir, your presence has been requested in the living room._

"Thank you, voice in the sky."

_I would prefer it if you called me Jarvis but I don't mind your nickname._

It felt weird talking to nobody in particular and it made Hel smile as she returned to her full Asgardian appearance. "I shall call you Jarvis then, but I'll let you know if I think of any more nicknames."

_Nothing can be any worse than what Mr Stark calls me._

She left her room, the jeans and blouse would have to do for now, and made her way down the unusually quiet corridor to the elevator that went right from the bottom of the skyscraper to the very top floor. As the metal doors slid open Hel came face-to-face with Steve Rogers and had to awkwardly step in next to him as it would've been even more weird to just stand there. The goddess was glad that she had done her research on all the Avengers because it ready her for how shy the captain was in real-life, he didn't say a word for the entire lift journey.

The _ding_ signalled that the metal box had reached the top floor and Hel waited for Steve to exit first, before following quickly behind.

It seemed that the entire Avengers team had been assembled, including the intimidating Director Fury. Although they were all obviously there to deal with the goddess, as she could tell from the fact that they were all wearing their full battle outfits, none of them even glanced in Hel's direction while she slowly walked around the room - trying to find somewhere safe to stand. Natasha and Clint were sitting on one of the many sofas opposite Thor, and Steve who had just sat beside the god. They were all alert but relaxed, chatting about general topics like humans always did to fill the silence. Hel could hear Bruce chatting to Tony in the kitchen - with weird, long words that the goddess assumed were science related. The only person that looked out-of-place was Fury who was standing with his hands behind his back, in front of the bar.

Hel stood by the wall opposite the director so that there was an entire room between herself and the man who reminded her of Odin - his glare was now directed straight at her.

The tension needed to be broken after a few minutes, it was getting unbearable. "Hey. Nice to meet you," she spoke to Fury as he was the only one bothering to look her way, "I'm Hel Lokidottir. Do you actually speak or are you just here to glare because I'm not too fond of people glaring at me? I mean, if you want to, glare all you want but I'm not comfortable with it."

The silence dragged for what felt like a century until Fury broke it with a statement that he tried to make sound casual, "Tony told me everything about you, Miss Lokidottir."

"Did he tell you that I have a fear of cacti?" Hel wasn't scared of the intimidating man to be honest, Odin was a lot scarier. Actually, they could both be best friends and trade eye patches...

"No?"

"Then he didn't tell you everything. I also don't like people glaring at me."

"I guessed."

"Did you use your 'super spy' skills to figure that one out?"

Tony and Bruce had wandered out of the kitchen by now. Stark broke his conversation with a surprised laugh and turned to face Hel, "Do you really have a fear of cacti?"

"No."

Fury looked furious by now - the goddess silently laughed at how well his name fit his personality. "This is no time to be playing games people! There is a child of one of the top three criminals standing in the tower!"

All of the other Avengers were now silently watching the scene unfolding before them with amusement in their eyes. It had been a long time since anybody but Tony had back-chatted the director and it was pretty fun to see.

Hel shook her head at hearing how 'badass' her father really was, "Only top three? I'm disappointed."

"From what Tony told us, she's pretty safe to be around..." Bruce spoke up after sipping on a coffee in his hands; Hel smiled at the man to distract herself from Natasha assessing her and the weird feeling of being watched that she was getting.

Fury's expression hadn't changed but it seemed like he was trying to see if the girl was a threat as well. "But first, her dad is the god of lies and mischief!"

Hel rolled her eyes. "Actually it's only mischief... 'God of Lies' is just a nickname he attained," she sighed.

"And she still has magic!"

Barton seemed very surprised at that - so surprised he got out his bow and aimed an arrow at the goddess. "Make one wrong move, Grim Reaper, and your eye socket will have an arrow in it quicker than you can say-"

"Yes birdy! We get the picture!" Tony said in an indifferent tone, he'd obviously heard all this before.

"What's a Grim... Never mind," Hel rolled her eyes again before beginning what she wanted to say, "Muggles like you wouldn't understand."

"Well tell us." The director was getting really aggravated by now.

"Wait, wait! This girl can refer to Harry Potter but doesn't know who the Grim Reaper is?!"

"Shut up Bruce."

"Well, I'll give you the easiest explanation possible." The goddess quickly thought of an easy way to explain such a difficult concept, "Magic is an energy that people learn how to channel from around themselves to produce illusions. Earth hasn't got as much of this energy as I'm used to so I hardly have any magic to use. And all of my remaining magic is being used to... Keep me normal."

All of the people in the room nodded in acceptance of the explanation, even though only Thor really understood. Clint had relaxed and put away his bow which relieved Hel, "So while you're on holiday here, you can't use magic whatsoever?"

"More or less..."

Fury looked once more around at the Avengers and then back at Hel before walking towards the elevator. "Right, I'm off to HQ. I want Stark, Odinson and Banner in this building at all times incase the father turns up too. Jarvis, keep me updated. Avengers dismissed."

Natasha followed the director into the elevator, mumbling some excuse that she needed to be back at headquarters too.

The mood had suddenly lifted the moment the metal doors slid shut and Clint's quick mood change almost scared the goddess, "When you said 'more or less', does that mean that you could use magic like now?"

"Well yes but nothing too much." The archer nodded but still looked like he had millions of questions.

Hel remembered her slight clothing dilemma and turned to face Tony, who was sipping on an amber liquid. "Mr Stark?"

"Call me Tony, but yes?"

"Would it be possible for me to get some new clothes as I cannot produce any more with magic?" Bruce had sat down where Natasha was sitting and was now talking with the three other men around him like they were best friends.

"Of course!" The billionaire grinned at the suggestion of going shopping - the other Avengers refused to shop with him and almost banned Stark from a shopping mall, "And you need your costume for tomorrow!"

"Costume?"

Steve laughed at Hel's confusion in what seemed like a friendly way.

* * *

The Asgardian was woken up, at an hour she thought should be illegal to be awake at, by Tony singing in the room opposite hers. At the top of his voice. "_Gonna have a parteeeee, ba da ba da bum, gonna be awesome, de dee diddly dum, gonna have fuuuuuun, do do do DOOO..._" This made her wonder two things; how Banner managed to sleep with Tony's dreadful singing, and how the billionaire was so energetic at this time.

With a lot of grumbling, the goddess slumped out of the comfiest bed she's ever slept in and made her way to the bathroom. She had a quick shower before putting on the very over-expensive clothes Tony bought her and feeling happy with how free she felt now her duties were halted in the underworld. A silvery, knee-length dress seemed like suitable casual clothes even though she was very aware of how much it cost.

"Erm, Jarvis? You are called Jarvis right? What time is it?"

_It's half past nine, Miss Lokidottir._

Finally, a more acceptable time to be awake.

~x~

The goddess now knew why the Avengers avoided shopping with Tony; it was troublesome to say the least. He had taken Hel to the most expensive shop in New York and refused to listen when she insisted that she'd be fine with clothes that weren't so stupidly expensive. Stark just had to smile at a shop assistant and suddenly they were measuring every aspect of the Asgardian - shoving random dresses at her to try on once they were finished.

She knew that Tony was only trying to be helpful, and yes, she had not been shopping on Earth before, but she could've done without his constant suggestions of what to get; she felt like she was taking advantage of his endless budget. To make it worse, he just sat there watching the scene with an amused grin on his face while humming along to the faint song playing over the shop's speakers. He obviously enjoyed watching her confusion at the fashion trends on Midgard.

Hel didn't like many of the clothes but finally, after a lot of pleading, let the billionaire buy her a bunch of outfits that were a lot brighter than she was used to. And a red pirate outfit, complete with a giant black hat and sword.

The Asgardian didn't like shopping.

~x~

Downstairs in the kitchen, Bruce, Steve, Tony and Clint were assembled around the table eating bits of toast and bowls of cereal. The Asgardian got a wave at her arrival from the soldier, but the others were in an intense discussion about... turtles?

"I'm Raphael! He wears red and is the turtle version of me. I. Am. Raphael."

"Bruce is definitely Donatello!"

"I agree." Bruce quickly replied before being interrupted by Tony - who was now so hyper that Hel wondered why he was still allowed coffee.

"That's genius! Who are you then?"

"Duh, I am Mikey. That means Steve is Leo!"

The four Avengers attending Tony's Halloween party decided to go in corresponding outfits, they eventually agreed on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (considering Clint watches it all the time). For almost an hour now, Stark and the archer had argued over who was what turtle and they had _finally_ come to a mutual agreement - a few hours before the actual party.

Bruce turned to address the goddess who sat down next to Steve and started eating a piece of toast - she didn't want to ruin her new dress. "Did you get woken up by Tony's singing too?" Hel nodded because it's rude on Asgard and Earth to talk with your mouth full. "Don't worry, you'll gradually get used to it."

Clint lifted another spoonful of cereal to his mouth with a triumphant smirk, before addressing the death goddess. "So... Loki's your dad then?"

"Yeah he is..."

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"I had two brothers. Fenrir and Jormungdr."

"Had?"

"They were killed in battle," to everybody's surprise, Steve answered the question instead of Hel - obviously trying to save her from the hurt he could see appearing in her eyes, "I did the research."

The Asgardian smiled in gratitude at the soldier, she really didn't like her brothers being mentioned without appropriate respect and he'd noticed that. "I also read about your punishment..." Well, at least he was trying to be gentle about it.

Tony saw how personal the conversation was getting so he tried to add a bit of humour, he doesn't like discussing things like emotions. "Steve Rogers - knows more about Norse gods than the twenty-first century!" Barton, however, was looking at the goddess for an explanation that Steve probably wasn't going to give them; while Bruce just continued eating his toast like this was casual talk at the breakfast table.

"I was banished to the underworld for no reason... But let's not dwell on such morose topics now, We've got a party to attend!"

"Please tell me you're going as the Grim Reaper?" Clint was eager to change the topic back to the party.

"No, a pirate. And, to be honest, I don't even know exactly what a 'Grim Reaper' is..."

"It's apparently a skull-guy-thingy who dresses in a long black robe and goes around killing people," Tony explained with a mouth full of toast, to which Hel laughed a lot at.

Once she had calmed down, the goddess explained her sudden outburst to the surprised Avengers. "Sorry. It's just that when I'm 'killing people', I wear a long black robe to hide my appearance."

"So, you're the Grim Reaper!" Bruce managed to say through his own laughter.

"I think I may be..." All five of them were giggling now.

_Sir? Sir!_

If Jarvis could sound worried, then that's what he'd sound like when he cut through the happiness suddenly. Tony looked the most concerned as the room fell into an eerie silence that contrasted greatly with how it had been a second ago.

"Jarvis, what's up?"

_Sir, I think I'm being overridden._

The billionaire was about to reply with a witty remark when a familiar voice drifted through the speakers instead of Jarvis's. Steve's face paled unhealthily at the displeasing sound of someone he thought was dead long ago - Red Skull.

_Hello Avengers. Long time no see, especially you Captain._

_A/N: I've waited to upload this for too long.._

_Enjoy this eellogofusciouhipoppokunurious chapter! (Yeah, that's a real word. Go me.)_

_- Tony_


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